Merlin Olsen describes the new weekly drama Father Murphy, created with Michael Landon for NBC. The series is set for Tuesdays at 8 p.m.—directly opposite ABC’s Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley—and he hopes its family tone and moral themes will attract both children and adults. Olsen says he asked specifically to keep working with Landon after guest appearances on Little House on the Prairie and values being able to invite his own children to watch a program he feels is wholesome.

Balancing the show with his NFL‑on‑NBC broadcasting job is a logistical puzzle. Sports chief Don Ohlmeyer wants him for double‑headers, playoff games, and other high‑profile telecasts, but Olsen insists the series must come first. Because he arrives a full day early to prepare for each broadcast, East‑Coast match‑ups would force him to leave on Fridays—an exhausting schedule when the drama is filming. He hopes to handle mostly West‑Coast contests and accepts that some weeks he will have to skip football entirely.

Production itself is demanding: five shooting days in Los Angeles, six when the cast goes on location. Olsen likens the pace to an NFL training camp but says the daily challenge of new scenes keeps him sharp. He freely admits that if Father Murphy were to fail he might find re‑entering full‑time sportscasting difficult, yet he prefers the creative risk of acting to the security of calling games.

The former Los Angeles Ram discusses his post‑football fitness. He trimmed more than 30 pounds from his playing weight, now holding at about 230–235 lbs through distance running, a largely fish‑and‑salad diet, and what he calls the “mental decision” to change. Olsen argues that most weight loss problems are psychological and notes that his current exercise regimen is stricter than anything he followed as an athlete.

Family remains his anchor. A recent vacation with his wife and children was timed to clear the decks for the series; his teenage daughter has become a high‑school cheerleader and his younger son juggles soccer, baseball, and youthful football dreams. He enjoys being able to point to Father Murphy—rather than more violent or suggestive shows—as something they can watch together.

Olsen’s off‑camera life is deliberate rather than lavish. He and his wife have just bought a house, but he has little interest in status symbols. Although he co‑owns a Porsche‑Audi dealership in Encino and can drive any model on the lot, he usually chooses an unremarkable Audi 5000. Other sideline businesses were sold years ago so he could focus on broadcasting and acting.

Asked about television’s climate, Olsen thinks critics overstate the medium’s sex and violence, whether in drama, news, or sports. He believes football is no more brutal than in earlier eras; controversy simply became fashionable after high‑profile injuries and tell‑all books such as The Assassin. His goal, on both the gridiron and the soundstage, is to show audiences that high entertainment values can coexist with responsible content.